Day 1 is Clinics, where dogs were introduced to rats in a cage, then rats in a tube and ended with quick runs of Instinct test.

This was the first time my two Shibas ever saw a rat.

Koji caught on right away and realized the rats were prey. He nailed the instinct tests in the 3 runs we did. We went from a little bit over 30 seconds in our first run to 8 seconds of our 3rd run. I think he located the rat very fast all three times, but it took me a while to learn how to read and trust his nose to call a definite "alert" or "mark".

Koji very focused in the start box waiting to be released to search!

Maluko was curious about the rats, but cautious. She was not too keen on a rat in a tube, so I decided to pull her out of the fun test on Day 2 and added more runs for Koji instead. I am sure I can train her to do Barn Hunt, but I will need access to the rats for training purposes. If I can train her to search for odor in Nosework, I can train her to search for rats.

Maluko could give a rat's ass about finding live rat in a tube (pun intended), so she just chilled with me on Day 2 while we waited for Koji's turn.

Day 2 are fun tests - they offered Instincts Test, Novice and Open level runs. Since Koji did so well in Instincts Test on Day 1, I decided to start him in Novice and if he passed Novice, we would try Open.

Koji passed Novice with ease. Not only did he got 1st place in Novice medium dogs, he also got the Fastest Novice Dog ribbon across all 3 sizes (small, medium and large).

Koji and his loot attached to his crate, picture taken on our way home.

This is Koji's Novice Barn Hunt Fun Test run. You can tell how focused he was in the start box, ready to go. Once I released him, he went straight to the rat tube and he found the rat tube in like 10 seconds and I waited like 20 seconds before I called the "alert", so our final time was around 34 seconds.

We had 2 open runs - he passed the first run with a 2nd placement among medium dogs. For the 2nd open run, I messed him up and called an false alert on the second rat while he was investigating, but he did find rat #2 later in the search.

Here are some of my observations and thoughts to share with others who are interested in Barn Hunt.

1. Try to figure it out early on if your dog is excited about the live rat, just the rat smell (there is a tube with rat beddings) or the empty tube (some dogs think the tube is a toy and get mouthy and excited by it). Note the differences in their reactions to all three types will help you better read your dog beyond Instincts test.

2. It takes some learning on the human's part to read their dogs when they locate the rats. I saw several handler not trusting their dogs' noses and insisted that the dogs check out other tubes even when the dog was indicating very strongly on a tube. (beyond instincts tests, the tubes were spread out and usually hidden from plain sights). It confused the dog to be called away from the live rat and some just lost interests after that.

3. In addition to locating all live rats (# of live rats depend on the levels), the dog also needs to do a climb (all 4 paws on a bale) and go through a tunnel. Many handlers try to get the dogs to complete the climb and the tunnel in the beginning or while the dog is still busy searching for the rats. It is confusing for the dog and not very effective for the rat search. I would suggest getting the dogs focused on finding the live rats first and if in the search process, the dog completes the climb or tunnel, then all is fine. If not, just direct the dog to do those tasks after the find.

4. Many handlers kept talking to their dogs while the dogs were actively searching. It can be distracting to the dog to focus on the task at hand. I was quiet after I released Koji from the start box and focused on watching him search, his changes in behaviors and made a mental note of where he had covered. I only talked to him if he seemed stuck and wanted to instruct him to check out some other areas. If you constantly talked while your dog was searching, not only you would distract the dog from the search, you may also not pick up some subtle changes in their behaviors.

It's great to have done Nosework with my two Shibas, so I am more experienced in working with them in a search and my ability to read my dogs. With Nosework, when Koji finds a hide, he would try to put his nose on the odor and then look up at me for the reward. I notice that with Barn Hunt, the rewards for him is the rats, so he does not look up. He is dead set on getting the rats.

If you can find a Barn Hunt fun tests or trials in your area, I would strongly suggest you check it out. It is fun for the Shibas and no rats are hurt in the process.]]>Doggie Sports/Activity: K9 Noseworkhttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/8634/doggie-sportsactivity-k9-nosework
Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:04:18 +0000sandrat8888634@/forum/discussionsFor people who are not familiar with it, here is a cut and paste from the National Association of Canine Scent Workhttp://www.nacsw.net/home/whatisk9nosework.html

---------------What is K9 Nose Work?

K9 Nose Work is the specific sport created and sanctioned by the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW). This sport was inspired by the training methodology of detection K9s and borrows elements of that training for recreation. The terms nose work, fun nose work, scent work, search work are all commonly used references to describe any activity where the dog is using its nose to locate a target scent or odor. K9 Nose Work is the term that defines this detection inspired sport that has evolved from the pursuit of many dogs (with their handlers) to practice nose work and have fun.

One of the many challenges faced by working K9s and their handlers is encountering new environments and scenarios daily. This challenge will be reflected in the sport through differing search environments and requirements of each trial location. ------------

I was first exposed to K9 Nosework about 6 months ago via a workshop held at the training facility we went. I found it very interesting and a great activity for any dogs regardless of breeds or whether they are reactive or not.

The dog works with its human and does not have to interact with other dogs at all. It is fun because the dog gets to used its nose for a change and scent is probably by far canines' strongest sense. They don't have to be a search and rescue or tracking dog, but they get to enjoy the joy of using their nose in a game and get rewarded generously for it. It's a win/win game for the dogs with no corrections whatsoever. It is also easy to start equipment-wise, you do not need expensive equipment or a lot of space and all you need are just a few cardboard boxes, collar/harness and leash, your dog and some yummy treats to get going.

I first enrolled my girl Maluko (almost 6 years old) in Nosework class about 2 months ago and she loves it. I would say it is by far her favorite activity. I then enroll Koji (a year and half) in level 1 class 2 weeks ago and he loves it too. I really enjoy watching them work and the different search style my dogs show. Maluko is very methodical and serious when she searches. She maps out the room and is very through in her search while Koji is the opposite when searching. Koji moves fast, but not over crazy like some of the other dogs in his class and still manages to focus on the tasks at hand. I learn so much by watching my dogs work their nose and I think this is one of the best doggie sports ever invented.

This was shot last week and it's week 2 of Koji's Nosework 101 class. Unique scent is not introduced in the game yet and they are only searching for yummy treats in boxes.

And to contrast their working style, here is Maluko in her Nosework 102 class last week. Her class has advanced to unpairing the scent (birch) with the treat and she was only searching for the birch scent in the room. In this video, it was just 2 small q-tips with birch scent in a tiny tin box slightly open and it was attached to the metal chair near the left wall.

]]>Agility training for Shibahttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/8638/agility-training-for-shiba
Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:15:23 +0000Saku8638@/forum/discussionsAfter having Saku and Mina, I am always looking for something I could do or work with my dogs. Agility is always something I want to try. It's fun and competitive. I also long for the partnership, the bonding, and the trust shared between handlers and dogs in agility sport. I believe that agility could help Mina to gain more confidence in herself (she is a timid shiba).

So we decided to enroll our shibas to agility classes and it's starting TOMORROW! yay!

I know some of you in this forum are active in agility sport. Please share with us your experience and thoughts about agility training with Shiba. Thanks!]]>Blood trackinghttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/13055/blood-tracking
Sun, 09 Mar 2014 16:19:31 +0000Juni13055@/forum/discussionsTo be honest, we tried it once before when she was around a year old but at that time she didn't understand it at all and just ran around being goofy and playing. After that we have done some regular tracking which she really enjoys, so I thought I'd give blood tracking a go again. It has been a perfect spring weekend with wonderful weather to be outdoors. And she did super good, I am so proud of her!We used regular plastic bottles filled with cow blood, then a leg of a deer. You drag the leg, tied to a string, while you walk a straight line and as beginners you drip a bit of blood for every step you take, at the end you hide the leg under a tree. The dogs should mark when they find the leg. The dogs follow both the scent from the blood and the scent from the deer hoof. Yesterday we only did around 50-70 meters and a straight line. Today we introduced corners which is a 90 degree angle in the track and did roughly 100 meter tracks. Next weekend we will do longer tracks. You can take a test and get a diploma and then you do a 600 meter track. When you practice you always mark with clothes pegs with plastic strings attached where you walked and where you do corners but in the test nothing is marked for you so you have to trust the dog to know what he/she is doing. You have to walk at least 5 meters behind the dog. I would love to try and do the test. After the test you can start compete and you can also take additional classes and become a team that can be called in to track traffic injured animals that need to be put down quickly and humanely. (Luckily you team up with hunters because I wouldn't be able to kill the animal myself...). I guess I am a bit ahead of myself but I get a bit carried away when I finally found an activity Juni enjoys and is good at.

The teacher said Juni was very accurate in her tracking and she is the only shiba she has trained that hasn't cared about the people and dogs behind her when tracking and she thought we were a great team that cooperated well (not sure what the cooperation was, I was just busy walking 5 meters behind and trying not to disturb her...).

Anyways, we had a great weekend and I think nose work activities really suit Shibas so I can definitely recommend you guys to try it.]]>The Wisconsin Shibas Go Lure Coursing!http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/10909/the-wisconsin-shibas-go-lure-coursing
Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:31:52 +0000Gatsu10909@/forum/discussionsFrom left to right. Buddy, Guts, Gidget, Lucy, Suki, and Mika

We all took our Shibas Lure Coursing today. And wow was that fun. We had a blast trying to chase our shibas to get them off the lure course! It was only the shibas who gave trouble. But every single one of them, ran a muck on the lure course. Lucy and Guts put up a fight. Suki took quite a bit of time on the field, thank god she had to stop to pee. Buddy's owner had to dive into mud to catch buddy. So I'm sure the other dog owners weren't happy about having to wait for us to catch our dogs. Dogs chase lure, human chases dog! Also we had Guts and Lucy shiba screaming their heads off, while watching the other dogs. It was a good time, BUT NEVER AGAIN!

Also they did use a radar gun to record their speed. Gidget was clocked at 25 mph, the fastest of all the shibas! IN ALL OF YOUR FACES!

edit: I'm sure the other guys will have more video and pics for us later.]]>How to choose a Sporthttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/12469/how-to-choose-a-sport
Wed, 25 Sep 2013 18:42:31 +0000ThePickledPanda12469@/forum/discussionsI tried with my 1st shiba Sasha, she listens to her commands very well even comes when called while a trail walk/hike (w/o leash) but at home its like I am speaking jibberish when I call her to me -.- The thing with her is she prefers to just sit and catch a ball or watch other dogs play. She just isn't interested in anything.

Aiden listens really well for a 10 week old puppy. He already knows sit, stay, wait, come, potty, leave it, drop it, and follow me w/ out the leash. He starts basic puppy/ socialization classes soon. I just like to give him a head start (he is very proud of himself)

Can someone help me out in choosing a sport he might enjoy?]]>Shiba Sports - Q&Ahttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/9566/shiba-sports-qa
Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:56:59 +0000sandrat8889566@/forum/discussionsI have been training/competing for Rally Obedience, Agility, Coursing and Nosework with my 2 Shibas. I know others who have done Competition Obedience, Tracking and Flyball with their dogs.

If you are interested in doing more with your Shiba and would like to get more information, this is the thread for you. Ask away!]]>NEW: Shiba Sports Chathttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/11212/new-shiba-sports-chat
Sun, 23 Dec 2012 16:20:06 +0000lindsayt11212@/forum/discussionsI am hosting a weekly chat room on my new web site (http://masakadoshiba.com/Shiba_Sports.html) for those with specific training questions.

Questions outside that sphere are also OK.

All are welcome!

No titles or pedigrees required to participate. If I'm not there and you do have a question, feel free to leave the question or topic and I will answer it the following week.

]]>First Rally Match 1/20/13http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/11360/first-rally-match-12013
Sat, 19 Jan 2013 20:53:42 +0000hkfirewolf11360@/forum/discussionsShibas in agility?http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/7227/shibas-in-agility
Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:28:06 +0000Koji's mom7227@/forum/discussionsI thought would be good way to work with him doing agility as it would be more like a game...

does anyone have experience with agility and Shibas? I don't expect to compete, - as he has typical Shiba selective hearing:) if he does well that would be gravy - he's unafraid of equipment and loves to run over the obstacles...

I've been keeping a little secret. I have been learning the art of truffle hunting with my Shibas and Kai over the last few months. I have definitly become a fungus fan and the Pacific Northwest hosts it's own special variety of truffles which rival the traditional Italian truffle in fine dining. This region also boasts some select wild edible mushrooms that people are having luck searching for using dogs, and the season for fungus finding is now upon us.

I've been working with Beebe and Farrah (Shibas) and Akuma (Kai) and it seems as of now that Beebe is the best and most keen to it. I did some research on how truffle dogs are traditionally trained, and enrolled in classes. I began with simple retrieve games using a hollow ball with scent inside, and then feeding and praise with retrieves and successful finds in the yard. Then I started burying it in duff (the strata that truffles like to fruit in) in wooded areas and under the pine trees in my yard.

This week in class, Beebe located her first real truffles in duff boxes and became the world's first truffle hunting Shiba. I am super proud of her. She definitly knows the scent and what to look for and has a good work ethic, so it will be up to me to keep her exposed to the scent and searching in various environments, and make sure it's rewarding for her.

Next week we hit the woods and setup some hides under the trees rain or shine. Regardless of our success with finding any wild edibles, it's a great excuse to get outdoors and enjoy nature with a trusted companion.

This thread will document our mushroom and truffle hunting progress.

]]>South Florida Agility Training Options?http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/10889/south-florida-agility-training-options
Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:33:00 +0000redcattoo10889@/forum/discussionsAs I learn more, I want to be sure I am getting the correct foundation to ensure 1) Bear and I can continue to have fun with it, 2) Bear and I establish a good foundation to grow from, 3) I am doing it in a safe and healthy progression mentally and physically for Bear, and 4) I can establish a long term relationship that would provide solid guidance/mentoring if Bear and I become real good at it and chose to try to compete.

If anyone has any recommendations for a good trainer/training center for agility within 20-30 miles of Tamarac, FL (this is in Broward County just west of Ft. Lauderdale area) I could really use some suggestions. Also if anyone has experience good or bad with training centers in this area I would greatly appreciate any insights. Thanks.]]>Recreational dog sleddinghttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/10834/recreational-dog-sledding
Sat, 13 Oct 2012 21:52:32 +0000Deb10834@/forum/discussionsAKC creates a program for mixed breedshttp://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/4979/akc-creates-a-program-for-mixed-breeds
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:27:30 +0000tobyshiba4979@/forum/discussions Mixed Breeds Welcome!AKC's new program for mixed-breed dogs, AKC Canine Partners, is now open for business. If you have a mixed-breed dog you'd like to enroll in this programgiving him the chance to compete in stand-alone obedience, rally, and agility eventsgo to akccaninepartners.org! In addition to event eligibility, owners enrolling in AKC Canine Partners will receive lifetime enrollment in the AKC CAR Lost and Found recovery service, a one-year subscription to AKC FAMILY DOG, an AKC Canine Partners decal and a frameable certificate of recognition! Go to akccaninepartners.org to sign up today!